Kingdom Hearts: Heart of the Wolf
by blackBluedawg
Summary: A new "parallel universe" version of the original KH story. No Sora here; instead this story has all-new OCs and non-Disney realms to go alongside the ever-popular Disney worlds! NOTICE: I own only the OCs and original worlds featured.
1. Dive to the Heart

Prologue

Dive to the Heart

_So much to do…_

_So little time._

_Take your time. Don't be afraid._

_The door is still shut._

_Who are you? What are you talking about?_, Sean asked the mysterious voice as he sunk into the abyss…Or was he rising? He was unable to tell. All he knew was that he was completely surrounded by darkness, moving toward a gigantic glowing circle in the distance guided by an unknown force.

_A lot of weird thoughts have gone through my head lately_, Sean told the darkness. _Are any of them for real…Or not?_

His mind flashed through all sorts of faint memories and visions. He saw his two wolf friends lying in the woods, back when they were still pups. A young boy with spiky blonde hair was standing before them, and though Sean could barely make out his face or figure, he knew very well that it was himself. _Where'd you guys come from?_, the boy asked the little wolves.

Then he saw himself and his friends running through the woods, growing older with each passing second. Then the three were sitting on a small hill, watching the stars in the night sky. There was a bright, full moon above as well. All of a sudden, he saw his friend Blood at the bottom, beckoning him to come down. Just as Sean was about to jump down, the hill grew much taller and more dangerous to jump from. After seconds of hesitation, he did jump, realizing his possible fate but willing to take the risk.

He went through the ground as if he had jumped into a pool of water. Emerging from a creek in the deep woods, Sean saw his friend Rain beckoning him into the moonlight. He went towards her, and they greeted each other as they always did, with petting and licking. Then Rain looked toward the massive moon, noticing that it looked unusually close and bright. Sean then noticed himself being lifted off the ground and, shortly afterward, speeding skyward like a rocket. He was getting closer and closer to the moon and was just about to hit it straight on.

In a flash of light, Sean was speeding downwards – or still upwards? – through darkness and past visions of what was and possibly what was to come. He passed by mysterious stained glass windows showing what looked to be princesses. The first one was fair-skinned, with black hair and holding an apple in her delicate hands. The second one sported a beautiful silver dress, surrounded by images of pumpkins, glass slippers, and a man and a woman dancing. Then there was a blonde haired princess holding a rose and surrounded by thorns. And then, one after the other, one in a pink dress surrounded by mushrooms and turtle shells, one in a yellow ball gown alongside household items and some kind of furry monster, and one in a plain brown robe with a green dragon and eight colored orbs. As the last one passed by, Sean eventually slowed down and landed on a pink stained glass window showing the silhouettes of six other maidens.

As he was looking around and wondering where he was, Sean noticed that something strange was happening to his shadow. _The closer you get to light_, the mysterious voice said, _the greater your shadow becomes_. The shadow then struggled off the floor and started morphing, spreading around the platform. Sean, shocked and confused, tried to make a run for it, but the darkness was spreading fast on all sides. As the darkness engulfed the glass under him and crawled up his pant leg, the voice spoke again:

_But don't be afraid._

Sean tried swatting at the tendrils of darkness, but soon he was completely enveloped in it, helpless to do anything. The voice spoke once more:

_You possess the greatest weapon of all. And do not forget…_

_You are the one who will open the door._

As the voice finished, a blinding light pierced through the darkness. And then…Nothing.


	2. Three Friends

EPISODE 1

THREE FRIENDS

The sun shone brightly through Sean's bedroom window. Sean slowly opened his eyes, blinked a few times, and looked around, still perplexed by his dream. _I wonder what time it is_, he groggily thought to himself, looking around his narrow bedroom. He noticed the messy closet and the large pile of dirty clothes sitting in the corner. Sean groaned, thinking, _Great. Don't tell me I've got some laundry to do today…_

Looking up, he got a good startle from the red wolf face that was right up in his. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, jolting up from bed.

"About time you got up, lazy ass!," the wild-haired red wolf said. "Very funny, Blood," Sean responded quite exasperatingly. Blood's bright red fur and magenta-ish feet, forearms, underside, and snout made him stand out in the morning sun. His long, brownish-orange mane draped down past his dark collar and shoulder plates. On his back and sides were markings that resembled a dark cloud and drops of blood. The tip of his tail was the same dark red color as his markings and the circles around his eyes.

"Come on!," Blood barked back at his friend, "It's 10 o'clock, and you were supposed to help get ready for our big trip! Jeez…What'd we do, wear you out from yesterday??"

"No, that's not it at all!" Sean snapped. "Look…I was swallowed up by this dark…thing, and this weird voice coming out of nowhere, and…" Blood slapped him with his paw before Sean could say another word. "Wake up already!," Blood said, "You were just dreaming again!"

"Man…," Sean sighed, "Sure didn't seem like a dream. Everything about it…Just so bizarre…"

"Yeah, yeah," Blood responded, jumping off the bed. "Well, you'd better come down sometime within the next decade. Me and Rain wouldn't get anywhere with you up here lazing away!" "Gee, thanks," Sean chuckled as Blood headed out into the hallway and down the stairs. Sean then proceeded to get out of bed and put on his clothes. Before getting dressed, though, he checked his hair in the mirror. The two big spikes in the front were nestled between forward-pointing smaller spikes on both sides which converged slightly behind them. The hair made a curved triangle in the back, while in the back most of it draped over his forehead. Overall, Sean's hair was only slightly messed up, but he fixed it quite easily, applying smaller spikes here and there. Afterwards, he dressed himself in his favorite navy blue and white short sweat jacket, blue shorts and shirt, and long yellow shoes. And of course, he also put on his lucky crown necklace.

Grabbing his trusty baseball bat for a playful little tussle with Blood, Sean left his bedroom, headed down the stairs and went on outside where Rain and Blood waited next to his silver sedan. "Hey, look who's finally come out, sis," said Blood to Rain, "It's good ol' Sleeping Beauty." The delicate, bluish-furred Rain just gave a small chuckle and smiled. "Hey, guys," Sean greeted, "Sorry I slept in so late."

Rain's fur was a very light shade of blue, but she had a brighter, more saturated blue in the same areas where Blood's color was magenta. Her pinkish mane curled slightly in the front and formed pointy dreadlocks in the back, the latter in thanks to her braids. Pink and white crystal bracelets rested on her ankles and front knees, and a striking blue crystal pendant was strung around her neck. Like her brother, she had markings on her back as well, but hers resembled a rain cloud and raindrops. Some of those markings were on her tail as well.

"It's okay," Rain responded to Sean's apology, "We would've gotten some work done already, but it just wouldn't be the same without you." Blood added, "Yeah, and besides, you're the only one with opposable thumbs, so of course it wouldn't be the same without you!" "Thanks," said Sean with a smirk, "It's good to know you're looking out for everyone."

"Did you at least have a good rest last night?," Rain asked coyly. "Well, I…" Sean started before Blood cut in with, "He said he had more weird dreams."

"Oh," said Rain as Sean walked towards her and Blood. "Ah, don't worry about me," Sean reassured. "Let's just go ahead and get some work done." Rain just chuckled coyly, "Okay."

The three friends went ahead and started loading up the sedan with items for the long road trip they were going to take. They loaded up lawn chairs, blankets, and a cooler from the garage, as well as various snacks and food items from the local forest and convenience store. Some of the junk got riled up and scattered by the some of the local kids, but Sean managed to grab them up and put them in the vehicle.

When they were ready to take a break, Sean volunteered to go up to the local convenience store to get some hot dogs.

The providence of Forest Hill was much like any other small suburban neighborhood complex: Quaint, humble, and somewhat isolated. It had a little country club-type place which was home to a dodgeball court, a few swimming pools, a nice walking path, and an arcade. The convenience store had a wide range of snacks and items for sale, despite its size. Nearby the houses was also a big forest preserve where Sean, Rain, and Blood always played and hung out in. It was also where Sean first found Rain and Blood, young, injured, and scared. Since he nursed them back to health they had pretty much been inseparable, the best of friends.

But they wouldn't be staying there for long. Having just completed high school and on the verge of his 18th birthday, Sean decided that they should leave Forest Hill and take a road trip to the outside world. Well, actually it was Blood's idea; Sean and Rain just decided to go along with it, mostly because Sean always loved a good adventure. But Blood had his own reasons for wanting to go…

On the outskirts of the forest preserve, the three friends ate their hot dogs as they watched the sunset from atop their favorite hill. Having four legs, Rain and Blood just ate their dogs bare and from the ground.

Just as they were halfway finished, Rain looked over to Sean, who was eating a bit more slowly than usual. "You've been quiet today, Sean," Rain said, noticing that he was in a strange mood. "You nervous?" "Huh?," Sean asked as he turned his attention to Rain. "About the trip," Rain assured him, "It's only two days ahead."

"Oh," Sean said. "Sorry about that. I've just had a lot on my mind." "Hehe…Okay," Rain responded.

After a short pause, Sean shared his thoughts with his friends. "If we go far enough down the road," he wondered out loud, "will we really find another world?" Blood gulped down a piece of hot dog, and responded, "We'll know when we get there. Besides, it's the only way to find out what kind of world Rain and I came from." Rain looked at her brother and asked him, "So, suppose we do get to another world. What would we do there?"

Blood hesitated for a second, thinking, then responded with a flat expression, "Well…To be honest, I haven't really thought about it." He looked out at the sunset and continued, "It's just…I've always wondered why we're here, in these human suburbs. Out of all the worlds out there, if there even are any, why'd we end up on this one?"

"And suppose there are other worlds. Then this one is just a little piece of something a lot bigger. So, we could've just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?" Looking at Rain and Sean, the only reactions he got were the shrugs of their shoulders. "See, that's it. That's why we need to get out there and find out!" Blood said as he stood up. "Just sitting here won't change a thing. So let's go."

"Whoa," said Sean, "Seems like I'm not the only one thinking out loud. That's pretty deep, Blood." "And in part," Blood responded as he turned to face Sean with a smirk on his face, "I have you to thank. If you hadn't found me and Rain that day, I probably never would've considered any of this. Sean, thanks." "You're welcome," Sean said as he turned back to the fiery sky. Blood soon joined him.

"It's getting late, you guys," Rain assured the two males, "We should finish up and rest up. We have a big day tomorrow." With that said, the three friends finished up their hot dogs and headed back to Sean's house.

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The morning sun fell brightly upon the Kingdom of Canis and its brilliant craggy mountain castle. The castle revealed itself in a bright, almost solid bluish hue as it overlooked the forested town below.

Hobbes the polar bear, Captain of the Royal Knights, patrolled the open ramparts of the castle as he headed toward the chamber of Lord Storm and Lady River, the rulers of the Kingdom. Dressed in striped green pants, a white and red armored shirt, and two crystal bracelets, it was normally his duty to patrol the castle and greet the Lord and his Lady.

Up ahead Hobbes spotted Fawkes, the small blue griffin, flying toward him real fast. He was holding a piece of paper in his front claws.

"Oh, Captain Hobbes! Captain Hobbes!," the beast squeaked as he noticed Hobbes. After he landed, Hobbes said in a concerned tone, "What is it, Fawkes? Is something wrong?" "Captain Hobbes!," Fawkes squeaked, "Terrible, terrible news! Lord Storm is gone!"

"What?," Hobbes expressed, "But how?" "H-He left this note," the griffin stated. "P-Perhaps you should read it." Hobbes picked the piece of paper out of Fawkes' claws, unfolded it, and read it. As he read, his expression turned grave. Upon finishing, he said to Fawkes, "This is pretty serious. Does Lady River know about this?" "Y-Yes, sir," Fawkes responded. "She wants us all to meet in the audience chamber to discuss it in further detail."

"All right," said Hobbes. "Fawkes, go and find Rob and Cody, and have them meet me and the ladies at the audience chamber right away." "Y-Y-Yessir!," Fawkes squawked as he took off into the air. With Lord Storm's note in hand, Hobbes quickly headed off for the audience chamber.

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Meanwhile, Cody the husky, Captain of the Royal Rangers, was in the training field practicing with his Transform Blade while Rob the snake, the Royal Court Magician, snoozed on the side. As Cody sliced through the combat dummies with deadly swiftness and precision, Fawkes spotted them and headed for their location. "Captain Cody! Magician Rob!," he squeaked as he came in for a landing right towards Rob.

Rob woke up to see the griffin coming right for him. "AAAUGGHH!!" he shouted as he jolted awake and zipped right flat to the ground. Cody noticed Fawkes gliding right over Rob and onto the ground. Springing up off the ground, Rob turned toward Fawkes and yelled, "Why don't ya pick a landing spot OTHER THAN right on my head! You almost wiped it clean off!"

"Oh, s-s-so sorry, Magician Rob!," Fawkes squeaked. "But I have some distressing news!" "What is it?," Cody asked as he rushed toward the snake and the griffin. "Is it about Lord Storm?" "Yes it is, Captain Cody!," Fawkes said. "Hobbes and Lady River need to meet you at the audience chamber! It…It's urgent!"

"Man…Your perception never ceases to amaze me, Cody," Rob said, disgruntled. "I wonder what kind of trouble is coming this way this time?"

"I don't know," Cody said, "but it must be pretty serious…"


	3. Invasion

Episode 2

Invasion

A wind blew through a hole inside the huge tree hollow, making an eerie howling sound. "Sean, are you sure that's not a monster growling?," a tiny blue wolf inquired from the tunnel leading in. "There's nothing to worry about," said the spiky haired 7-year-old boy leading the wolf and her red-furred brother, "It's just the wind. I've been here a bunch of times."

"Okay. But suppose there really IS a monster in here," barked the little red wolf. "Think we could take it on, all three of us?" "Of course we can!," said the boy with confidence, "There's nothing we can't do together!"

The three friends poked through the roots and leaves to the center of the hollow. A large wooden door rested on the far wall. "Now, this is our little secret, guys," the boy said to the wolf pups. "Nobody else is allowed in here." "This is neat, Sean," the blue pup stated, "I never knew trees to make a hollow this big."

"Rain…Blood…" said the boy, "I'm only letting you two in because you're special."

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Sean sat in the giant hollow, all alone. _Today is the last day before our trip_, he thought to himself as he looked at the crayon and chalk drawings laid upon the roots and rocks. He looked over drawings of him, Rain, and Blood; of them riding on a ship at sea, fighting giant monsters, and playing tag. He saw his own signature next to Rain and Blood's paw prints. This place was so full of treasured memories. He set his hand on Rain's paw print, smiled, and sighed. _I'm really going to miss this place_, he thought.

"This world has been connected…"

Hearing the strange voice, Sean dropped his smile and spun around to meet the source. "Huh? Who's there??" he inquired to the mysterious, robed figure standing right next to the large door.

"Tied to the darkness," the figure continued. "Soon to be completely eclipsed."

"Huh?," a perplexed Sean asked. "Wh…What're you talking about?...Uh, where'd you come from??"

The figure spoke again. "You know nothing. You understand nothing." It then floated off the ground and vanished right through the closed door. "Uh…Hey!" Sean yelled to the figure as it disappeared.

"Sean!" Rain's voice barked at him. Sean turned his attention to his female friend. "Huh. I thought you'd be here," she said. "Oh," he responded, "Just…catching up on my memories from here." "Okay," Rain sighed. "Come on, let's go back and finish up."

"Uh…Okay, sure," Sean said. As he headed back out with Rain, he looked back at the door to see if the figure was still there, but he was already gone. _Nothing really out of the ordinary_, he thought, _How did he get here?_

As they walked through the forest and towards Sean's house, Rain said to Sean, "You're really going to miss Forest Hill, aren't you?" "Yeah," he responded, "I spent my entire life here. Of course I would miss it here." Rain sighed, and told Sean, "I admit I was a little afraid at first, too. But I'm ready now."

Noticing the faraway look in Sean's eyes, Rain continued, "Don't worry. No matter where we go or what we see, we know we can always come back here." Smiling, Sean responded, "Yeah, of course. You're right…Thanks." Rain said, smiling back, "You're welcome."

Then she turned her head to him and said, "Sean, don't ever change." "Huh?", asked Sean, startled by the statement and stopping. She went a little ahead of him and stopped, saying, "I just can't wait. Once we hit the road – you, me, and Blood – it'll be great." The friends then continued forward as the sun set once again.

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"OK, OK. Lemme get this straight, guys," said Rob in the Kingdom of Canis audience chamber. "Lord Storm just, whoosh, went up and left? Just like that?"

"Yes, Rob," said the purple-furred wolf sitting on one of two short thrones. She was adorned with earrings and had a short, lilac-colored mane. This wolf was none other than Lady River, sitting next to an empty throne belonging to her missing mate.

"When I got up this morning, I looked to my side to greet Storm, and he was gone," she continued. At the round stone table in the center was Hobbes, Rob, and Cody, as well as Lady River's ladies-in-waiting, Dolly the dolphin and Shana the orca. Fawkes sat near the entrance, listening and pacing nervously. "All I saw next to me was this letter he left behind," she explained as Hobbes held the letter in his paws. "As soon as I read it in its entirety, I called Fawkes and asked him to call you all here."

Standing at the table with a concerned expression, Cody said, "What did the letter say, Lady River?" "Yeah," Rob blurted out, "Does it say, like, why he decided to ditch us and what the heck we're supposed to do with him outta the picture and stuff like that?"

"Oh, yes," said Lady River. "Hobbes has the letter. Would you please, Hobbes?" "Yes, ma'am," Hobbes complied as he raised the letter up, cleared his throat, and read what Lord Storm had to say:

_Dear friends:_

_I am terribly sorry to leave you all so abruptly, but I am afraid that a great crisis is upon us._

_I have received a vision, one foretelling of danger on the far horizon, painfully evident in the stars in the night sky going out, one by one. I'd hate to leave all of you like this, but I have to check into this._

_Now, the following instructions are for Rob, Hobbes, and Cody, my most loyal subjects, to carry out:_

_There is someone with a 'key' out there, the key to our very survival, one that had appeared in my vision. I need all three of you to find him and stay by his side at all times. _

_We'll all be in grave danger without the key. So go to Gadget Town and find Claw. He should be able to point you in the right direction. Time is running short; we must all make haste if we are to avert this crisis._

_There is one last bit of information I will leave you all with: My vision has also revealed that my two lost children are still alive. I must find them before they are lost again to the darkness._

_Sincerely,_

_Lord Storm_

"Gadget Town?," Shana expressed with a questioning tone as Hobbes finished reading. "Another world?," Cody exclaimed as the weight of the situation came down on everyone in the room.

"My goodness," Dolly expressed with great distress, "What could this mean?" "It means," assured Lady River, "that we have no choice but to trust Lord Storm."

"Well that's just wonderful," Rob said sarcastically. "He leaves us right in the middle of some kind of doomsday scenario and expects us to find some guy who may or may not be willing to help a bunch of talking critters, and who may or may not magically reveal Lord Storm's hidey-hole. Not only that but we may or may not have to babysit a bunch of wolf kids we haven't seen in, I dunno, a decade."

"Well," Cody said with concern, "Wherever he is, I certainly hope he's OK." After folding up the letter and putting it in his pants pocket, Hobbes said authoritatively, "Lady River. Don't you worry. We'll find Lord Storm, your children, and this 'key'."

Smiling but still troubled, Lady River said, "Thank you, all of you." As Cody headed over to Hobbes' side, the bear said to Shana, "Shana, Dolly. Would you mind taking care of the –" "Of course," Shana said. "You three be careful now." As everyone exchanged words, Rob switched from a dreadful face to a cheesy smile, afraid that he was going to be dragged along for the journey.

"Oh," said Lady River after a few seconds, "Before you leave, I would very much like to introduce you to someone." She pointed to the empty throne next to her, saying, "He will accompany you, and will be chronicling your travels." But when Rob looked, he saw nothing.

Then a voice came from the throne, as well as a small person jumping up and down. "Over here!," it shouted to the heroes. When everyone took notice, this character stopped jumping and introduced himself. "Cricket's the name. Jiminy Cricket, at your service." He was indeed a cricket, albeit sporting a top hat and a fine set of clothes. "Nice to meet you," said Cody as he waved hello. "And nice to have you with us," said Hobbes. Jiminy jumped off the throne and behind Cody's goggles, happy to come along.

"We all pray for your safe return," Lady River said to the heroes. "Please, bring Lord Storm and our children safely back home."

As Hobbes and Cody looked through the crowd, they noticed that Rob wasn't beside them. Sporting a wide grin and waving his tail, Rob said, "Well, have a nice trip. Say hi to Lord Storm and the kids for me!" Hobbes walked over to Rob and, grabbing him, stated, "Nice try, but you're coming, too."

As Hobbes dragged the snake out the door and Cody followed, Rob lamented, "Man…Why do I ALWAYS get dragged along on these things??" Cody assured him, "Because, Rob…You care about Lord Storm just as much as the rest of us. Besides, you're the Royal Court Magician. We need you." "Oh, I get it," Rob responded, "You just need me to work my mad Cure skills on you guys while I try to avoid becoming the daily lunch special."

After a short pause, Rob spoke again, "Okay, I guess you're right. Besides, I wouldn't want Lord Storm in deep kimshee, now would I?" Reminded of his feelings for Lord Storm, Rob slipped out of Hobbes' grip and slithered alongside them on his own.

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After Rob and Cody underwent a quick change of clothes, the four heroes headed deep into the castle. Cody had on his striped red shirt, brown cap and goggles, brown slacks, light armor plates on his shoulders and knees, and fingerless gloves with reddish crystals on them. Rob was dressed in his dark blue vest and short pointy hat.

"Wow, Jiminy," Cody said as they walked down the spiral staircase, "Your world vanished, too?" Riding on Cody's cap, Jiminy confirmed, "It was terrible. We were scattered. And as far as I can see, I'm the only one who made it to this kingdom."

"So if we don't do something," Rob said, "This world is going to fall into a weird abyss, too? Thanks, but I DON'T want that happening any time soon."

"All right," said Hobbes as they approached the bottom of the stairs and headed towards the Gummi Ship hangar, "You three know the rules of travel, right?" "Yes, we do," Cody responded. "Yup," said Rob, "Always act casual, never let anyone know where we came from, and all that. Got it."

They walked down the long hallway at the bottom and through a large door. Inside was a huge menagerie of gears and machinery, with a large orange vessel in the middle. In a large window opposite the entrance, three medium-sized dragons looked on as the four heroes entered. "Welcome, gang!," the green one and largest of the dragons greeted.

"Hello," Hobbes greeted back. As Hobbes and the others reached the boarding dock, he said into the speaker there, "Blaze, Red, Nigel. Any time you're ready." "You got it!" said Blaze, the big green dragon. He gave the thumbs up to Red, the orange dragon, and Nigel, the shortest one with the green scales and purple underbelly. They were all wearing black-and-silver aprons adorned with the Kingdom's logo, a big wolf head. Nigel pressed a few buttons, which extended the bridge to the ship's cockpit. "In you go, chaps," he said as the heroes boarded the Gummi ship. Once they were all in, a few more button presses drew the bridge back in.

"Alright," shouted Blaze, "All systems go, gang!" With a slow but intense rumbling, the ship lifted off the ground as the engine warmed up. As Cody readied the ship controls, Hobbes told the dragon brothers, "Remember to stay in constant contact with us when we're in the ship!" "Got it!," Red shouted as he and the others performed final checks and preparations.

Once all systems were a go, the ship slowly moved forward as the engine built up more and more energy. A few seconds later, Blaze yelled, "Blast off!!!," as the engine released its energy and propelled the ship forward in an incredible burst of speed. As Rob, Hobbes, Cody, and Jiminy lurched backward with their seat belts fastened, the ship sped down a long tunnel before coming out into the candy-colored cosmos.

"OK," said Cody as the Kingdom of Canis shrunk behind them. "Next stop, Gadget Town!" Hobbes programmed the location into the ship's computer as Rob blankly stared out ahead, recovering from the launch.

In the cosmos, the ship continued speeding forward until it disappeared in a blink of light on the horizon.


	4. Cast Away

Episode 3

Cast Away

Sean was lying awake in his bed, with Blood and Rain sleeping on the floor on both sides of it. He thought about what Rain said earlier. _I admit I was a little afraid at first, too_, her voice echoed in his mind. _But I'm ready now. I just can't wait; once we hit the road – you, me, and Blood – it'll be great._

He took a glance at the slumbering Rain on the floor. He smiled and whispered to himself, "She's right. It'll be great once we all get going." After a brief pause, he leaned over to pet Rain and whispered again with confidence, "Now I'm ready, too. Thanks, girl."

Back in his bed, Sean lay down and sighed. Knowing that he was no longer nervous, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

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A few hours later, Sean woke up from his peaceful sleep, realizing that it was unusually dark outside. Shifting around to get a better view out the window, he could see only blackness outside but could hear the wind whipping strongly. "What, a storm?" he asked himself.

Realizing that this could be a potentially threatening storm, Sean shouted out to the darkness, "Rain? Blood? We've gotta get down to the basement! This looks like a real nasty storm!" But he got no response. After a few seconds, he reached over to where Blood usually sleeps to get him up. "Blood? Hey, you –"

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw that Blood wasn't there. Blood was completely gone. As Sean wondered where he could've gone, he shifted over to the other side to check up on Rain. "Hey, Rain," he asked as he reached over, "You know where your -?" She was gone, too.

_Oh no…Not both of them_, he thought to himself with dread. But he knew it wouldn't do any good to just sit in his bed and worry. He had to get out and look for them. With that task in mind, Sean got out of bed and got dressed, grabbing his baseball ball on the way out.

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Neither Blood nor Rain was in the house. Sean would have no choice but to actually go out into the storm. _But where could they possibly have gone at a time like this?_, he wondered as he went out the front door and into the street. It was just as black outside as he saw from his bedroom. Up in the sky there was a massive sphere of pulsing dark energy.

While he was trying to think about where Blood and Rain could've gone, Sean noticed something stirring behind him. Glancing backwards, he saw mysterious shadow creatures emerging from the ground, and a large group of them. Sean turned shocked as the creatures stared back at him with glowing yellow eyes and twitching antennae.

After a brief shock, Sean spun around to face the invaders, baseball bat armed and ready. "Don't come any closer, you…Whatever you things are!," he yelled as he held the bat low. The creatures seemed slightly intimidated, but kept creeping towards him. "I'm warning you," he said as he slightly moved backward, "Don't mess with me! I've been fighting with Blood for years!"

Then, like a wild animal, one of the creatures laid low for a moment, then pounced right towards Sean. He took a swing at it with his bat, but the weapon seemed to go right through it. The creature knocked him backward as Sean tried to take more swings. On his back, he faced the creature as it tried to thrust its claw onto where his heart lay. He grabbed its claw and threw it aside, realizing that his bat is doing absolutely no damage to these…things.

_It's no use_, he thought, _I can't even deliver a solid hit!_ As another one of the creatures lunged toward him, he rolled out of the way, got back on his feet, and took off down the street. The creatures, in turn, gave chase. He ran as fast as he could, his mind racing as to where to look for Blood and Rain.

_Wait…The forest!_, he assured himself. _I'll look there first!_ He ran off toward the nearest house, then past it towards the forest preserve. The creatures were still on his trail.

As he approached the forest, Sean finally spotted Blood sitting on their favorite hill. Glad to have finally found his friend, Sean headed straight for the hill. As soon as the creatures saw him heading in that direction, they sunk back into the ground.

At the hill, Sean ran up to see Blood just sitting there, looking out onto the town. Stopping to catch his breath, Sean said to Blood, "Blood! There you are! Wh…What are you doing out here?? And where's Rain??"

Blood glanced at his friend, saying, "Ah, Sean. I thought you'd never get here…" As he finished speaking, a pillar of darkness sprouted right under his paws. Sean was completely shocked and taken aback by this pillar, but Blood didn't seem fazed at all as he turned around. "Come with me, Sean," he said, somewhat visible from the outside. "We can go to the outside world now."

Completely shocked, Sean tried talking and could only say, "But…Rain!" "Don't worry," Blood said, noticing Sean's concern, "She should be coming with us."

Sean finally decided to go into the pillar to try and get Blood out. But before he could enter it, it suddenly expanded and covered Sean in tendrils of darkness. Blood then held his paw out, signaling Sean to get a hold of it. But Sean was struggling inside the growing darkness, and he found it difficult to even move. Sensing Sean's desperation, Blood teased, "Whatsa matter, Sean? You afraid of the dark?"

Sean tried desperately to get to Blood, but soon his friend was completely engulfed by the darkness. It surrounded Sean, too, until it was entirely pitch black around him. He could move again, but there was no sign of Blood anywhere. Recovering from before, Sean shouted, "Blood?? Blood! Blood, where are you?!?"

_But don't be afraid._

Sean knew that voice was not Blood, but was surprised to hear it at a time like this. "It's that voice again!," he told himself. Then he felt his right arm lift up as a radiant light burst forth from his palm, consuming the entire dark space he was in.

_You possess the most powerful weapon in the universe…_

_--------------------_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the blinding light dimmed, Sean found himself back on the hill. He saw that Blood was gone, had vanished into the darkness. When he looked down at his arm, he jumped in surprise. His baseball bat had been replaced with a new, strange weapon. It was a sword, but it was shaped like a giant key, with the teeth as the blade and a hanging keychain below the hilt shaped like a wolf head.

"What the…What is this thing??" he asked himself as he held the weapon straight up. _Keyblade_, the voice spoke again, as if answering Sean's question. _The strength within you._

"Key…Blade?" he repeated. Behind him, another one of the shadow creatures emerged from the ground and proceeded to attack Sean. Almost by instinct, Sean spun right around and hit the creature with his new Keyblade. With that one hit, the creature disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke. _I can't believe it_, he thought as he marveled at how his new weapon quickly disposed of the creature, _A solid hit!_

Soon afterward, more shadows came up. Realizing that now he has a fighting chance against the invaders, he brandished the Keyblade and held it low. One of the creatures pounced towards him, but he swung the Keyblade and easily defeated it. He rushed forward as he slashed at the creatures, until they were all gone.

_Wow, that easily took care of them_, Sean thought as he looked back onto the hill. But he soon realized that he still had to find Rain. _But the question is, where could SHE be?_, he wondered.

Then, as if it was reading Sean's mind, the Keyblade lifted up and pointed right into the forest, sensing a powerful energy. Sean was confused at first, but he knew he didn't have much time to think about it. Realizing that the Keyblade may know where Rain is, he said, "OK, Keyblade thingy…You lead the way!" Trusting the weapon, he headed deep into the forest.

In the forest, more shadow creatures came out of nowhere to attack Sean. He only destroyed the ones directly in his way, as he had to hurry to Rain's location. Finally, he reached the heart of the forest, where the big tree hollow rested.

But he noticed something strange when he arrived. A large ornate door had appeared at the entrance to the hollow. _Where'd that come from?_, he wondered as he approached the door. The Keyblade was pointing right into the hollow, and the door didn't seem to be locked, so he just opened it and headed right through.

As soon as he entered the hollow, he saw Rain standing right in front of the large wooden door. "Rain! Boy, I'm so glad to have –" He stopped speaking, noticing that something was seriously wrong with her. She was standing, but her legs looked weak. It looked like she was about to collapse. Glancing backward, Rain said weakly, "S…Sean…"

Before Sean could say another word, a large keyhole flashed briefly on the door before it burst wide open. Darkness and storm-force winds blew right out it, and Rain flew towards Sean. "Don't worry, girl!" Sean shouted against the wind, "I've got you!" He spread his arms outward, preparing to catch her. "I've got you! I've got –"

Then he realized that she passed right through him. Not only that, but she had disappeared entirely. He was so stunned that he had lost both his friends that the winds from the door swept him off his feet and blew him back outside.

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Sean landed back outside the hollow with a thud. On his back, he heard strong winds whipping all around him. Sitting back up, he saw trees, houses, just pieces of Forest Hill swirling around in a massive maelstrom of darkness. He was sitting on a huge chunk of earth, suspended in the air just a few miles short of the massive dark sphere that was in the sky earlier.

Sean couldn't believe what was happening around him. And as if we wasn't shocked enough, he saw his own shadow expanding and morphing, much as it did in his dreams. It became bigger, and transformed into a monstrous shadow creature. It looked a lot like the others, only it had a full head of what looked like hair, as well as long arms, short legs, and a heart-shaped hole in the middle of its body.

Jolting back to his feet, Sean tried running away, but soon realized that there was nowhere to run. The platform he was on was suspended in thin air, and trying to leave would only lead to disaster. As the large shadow creature stared him down, it took its hand and thrust it right into the ground. Sean rolled right out of the way as a pool of darkness formed around the hand and released more shadow creatures.

He stood right back up, Keyblade brandished. He knew that now he would have no choice but to fight.

The smaller shadows rushed at Sean, but he easily disposed of them. _No use going for the smaller ones_, he thought to himself. _I've gotta get the big one!_

The boss withdrew its hand from the earth as Sean attempted to take a swing at it. He was too late; the hand was almost out of harm's way. _Aren't you a little TOO big?_, he thought. _How am I supposed to bring you down?_ He looked at the boss for a weak spot.

As Sean evaluated the face, the boss knelt down, pelvis forward, and built up energy in the hole in its body. _Oh no, that doesn't look good,_ Sean thought as dark fireballs came out of the boss's body and started homing onto his location. He lifted the Keyblade up to his face to block the first fireball, which exploded with dark energy. He then started running around the boss, attempting to dodge the rest of the wave. He just missed the next three fireballs. When he went back around to the front of the boss, the Keyblade pointed to its face. _A weak spot?_, he wondered as he slowed down to get a better view.

But the last fireball from the wave hit him, and he fell to his side. But he got right back up and continued the fight. _OK, but how do I get it?_, he thought about the boss's face.

The boss lifted its hand up again, and again plunged it into the earth. Jumping out of the way, Sean finally saw a way to get to the face. Running through the pool of darkness the hand formed, he jumped up onto the big arm and ran up it to the face. Once he got to the weak spot, Sean delivered a series of slashes to it. When he was just about to fall, he grabbed one of the boss's strands of hair and continued slashing at the face.

The boss was unable to see, but it took its hand out of the ground, stood upright, and tried to swat Sean. Sean didn't see the hand in time to block it, so he was swatted away and back onto the ground.

On his knees, Sean felt weak all over. However, he remembered the few Potions he kept in his pocket just in case. The boss attempted to swat him, but Sean rolled right out of the way as he pulled out and consumed one of his Potions. He instantly perked back up, and recovered his strength.

A giant black fist was heading right for him, but he rolled away again. Then, realizing that the boss had left itself open, Sean got back up and jumped onto the fist. He ran back up to the face and, before he could fall off again, he thrust the Keyblade deep into the face. After a flash of light, Sean fell back to the ground as the boss clutched its face in pain. Darkness was pouring out of it, and it was losing its strength. Its entire body was dissolving as it was lifted off the platform and disappeared into the gigantic sphere.

Standing up, Sean shouted, "Yes!". But there wasn't much time for celebration, as Sean quickly noticed that the sphere was trying to pull him in, too. He rushed for the nearest tree trunk and attempted to hang on. But the trunk was steadily losing its grip on the earth.

The trunk eventually broke off and lifted off into the giant sphere, taking Sean with it. Sean yelled as he was lifted up by the strong suction force, and then he suddenly blacked out.

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Rob, Hobbes, and Cody strode out onto the makeshift cobblestone and metallic ground of the Gadget Town plaza. Then Cody looked up at the night sky and noticed something. "Huh?," he expressed as he looked up. Both Rob and Hobbes turned around. "What, Cody? Are we about to be hit by a meteor, or something?," Rob sarcastically asked. "No," said Cody. "Look up! A star's going out!"

Everyone looked up to see a large star flash, then disappear completely. "That…That was another world, wasn't it?," Hobbes asked a concerned Cody and a shocked Rob. "Probably," Cody responded.

Hobbes paused for a moment, then said, "In that case, we'd better hurry and find the human with the key right away." "Great," said Rob. "That's what's gonna happen to other worlds if we don't get up and running with this 'key' business??" "Yeah," Cody responded. "That's why we have to find it quickly."

With that in mind, the heroes headed off to look around.

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A while later, a small white robot with a motorized scrubbing brush and a single wheel entered the plaza for daily clean-up. It zipped through the plaza, frantically scrubbing the ground. It went up the steps to the Accessory Shop, and then looked toward the alleyway next to it. "FOREIGN CONTAMINANT," its computer told it as it detected something in the alley.

Channeling its frustration in a series of incoherent beeps, the robot rushed right into the alleyway. But it stopped in its tracks as soon as it saw Sean lying there, seemingly unconscious. It slowly approached him and looked over him. He was covered in "foreign contaminant", and after a while, the robot started cleaning him.

Feeling the brush on him, Sean jolted right up with a short shout. The robot jumped backward, shocked that he was moving after all. As it stood right in front of him, Sean said, "Wh-What's going on? A…robot?" The robot then identified itself as, "M-O." "'MO'?" he inquired. As he stood back up, he noticed that something was wrong. Looking around, he inquired, "Wha…Wait a sec….Wh…Where am I?"

The walkway under him was cobblestone stacked on top of yellow metal, and, by the looks of it, whoever worked on it didn't finish. Just about everything in the alleyway had a yellow metallic feel to it. "Wait," he said to himself, "I…I was sucked into that giant…thing, and…But, how did I get here?"

Sean then looked down at M-O, saying, "Hmm…I don't suppose you would know where we are?" But M-O's only response was him cleaning Sean's shoes, followed by a disgruntled series of beeps and him leaving Sean behind. "Hey…Wait up!," Sean shouted as M-O left the alleyway.

Sean sighed, then said to himself, "Well, guess I might as well try and figure out where I am." Then Sean left the alleyway himself, unaware of a mysterious man with wolf claws spying on him from a nearby rooftop…


	5. Gadget Town

Episode 4

Gadget Town

Walking out into the plaza, Sean knew for sure that he was now in another world. And the ground wasn't the only thing that looked unfinished. The entire plaza seemed to be composed of random, cobbled-together pieces.

The two lampposts in the center of the plaza looked completely different; one was black and icy, with an oil candle providing an unusually bright light. The other one had a colorful head which swirled around and changed from blue to red every half hour, making a strange dinging sound.

Two large wooden doors lay, respectively, on the far left side of the plaza and just straight ahead. The latter door had a large clock right above it, which wasn't exactly on straight. On the right side of the plaza was a place called the Jazz Café, as well as a quaint Item Shop. The café definitely had a jazzy feel to it, but it also had spinning yellow gears above it. Sean could also see metallic walkways way above the plaza.

"Wow," Sean expressed as he went down the metallic steps, "What a weird town this is." At the bottom and to his left was a large tube chute, supposedly for sending mail. Sean started walking around the plaza, looking over its details with wonder. He wasn't paying attention to where he was walking, though, and it wasn't too long before he bumped into someone. Someone small, in fact.

"Hey, watch where you're going, kupo!," squeaked the little white creature, "You almost ruffled my pom-pom!" "Eh, sorry about that," Sean apologized, looking at the creature with curiosity. It had a large pink nose on an even bigger head. Its body, arms, and legs were tiny in comparison to the head, and it also had tiny wings and a big pom-pom atop its head. "What, you've never seen a Moogle before, kupo?," the creature asked, noticing the curious expression on Sean's face. "Well…No. Not exactly," Sean said, "I can't say I have."

"You new to this town, kupo?," the Moogle inquired. Sean nodded, then the Moogle spoke again, "Well, seeing everything here will take some time, kupo, especially for newcomers." "Thanks," said Sean, "But…Where exactly AM I?" Pointing to the Accessory Shop at the top of the steps, the Moogle responded, "Go ask Peter, kupo. He should be able to tell you everything you need to know." Glancing at the Shop, Sean said, "Thanks. By the way…Why do you keep calling me 'kupo'?" "That's only for us Moogles to know, kupo," said the Moogle as he turned to leave.

"Okay," Sean said, "Thanks again."

On the outside, the Accessory Shop looked like part of an outlet mall, except with two wooden doors on the front. _What kind of town is this, anyway?_ Sean thought as he entered the Shop. The inside of the Shop certainly didn't defy its exterior, though, as it looked just like the jewelry section of a department store. The glass cases all contained different kinds of jewelry, from plain rings to highly decorated bracelets. Standing near the far wall behind one of the cases was a big penguin, about the same height as Sean. It was wearing what looked to be a jacket-vest, with zippers on the front and sides, as well as a yellow belt and collar that had small Velcro strips. On its head it wore goggles and a red, polka-dot bandana. On the sides of its black face were large yellow spots.

"Well, hello there," the penguin said cheerfully as Sean came in, "And welcome to the Accessory Shop. Could I interest you in something, like a brand-new Protect Chain?" "Well," Sean responded, a bit taken aback by the sight of a talking penguin, "No. I'm actually looking for Peter." "Oh!," exclaimed the big bird, "Why, that's me. Well, what can I do for you?"

Surprised, Sean said, "Wait, you're Peter?" Peter nodded in response. "Wow," said Sean again, "I…I've never met a talking penguin before." Peter just smiled and said, "That's okay. A lot of people tell me that when they come to Gadget Town for the first time."

"Gadget Town?," Sean inquired, "Is that what this world is called?" "Yes," Peter responded, then dropped his smile, "It's a haven for those who've lost their home worlds to darkness." Perking back up, Peter continued, "You must be new here. What's your name?"

"I'm Sean," Sean responded. "Anyway, I was hoping you could help me." Peter smiled and said, "Sure, I can help. You can always count on me." Sean could tell that he's already made a new friend, and a great one at that. "Great. Thanks," he said to Peter.

"OK," Sean explained, "I got separated from my friends Blood and Rain. Have you seen them, by any chance?" "I don't know," Peter said, "What do they look like?" "Well, for starters," Sean continued, "They're wolves. One has bluish-gray fur, and the other has bright red fur. And they're both quadrupeds."

"Four legs?," Peter asked. Sean nodded. Peter thought for a moment, then said, "Well, no, I haven't seen them. I'm sorry." Sean responded with a heavy sigh and the lowering of his head. "But take a look around town," Peter assured him, "I'm sure they landed somewhere nearby." Sean lifted his head slightly back up and said, "OK. Thanks, Peter." "Hey, don't mention it," the penguin responded. "In the meantime, I'll look out for them."

Peter continued, "I would suggest that you start searching in the Residential District. The door to it is right behind the Shop." "Great, thanks again!" Sean said as he turned to leave. "You're very welcome," said Peter as he waved good-bye to Sean, "And good luck!"

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As Sean entered the Residential District, he noticed that it seemed a lot bigger than the Market District, where he was previously. The metallic walkways were suspended high above the Market District, and there were various pieces of machinery placed between the paths. There were futuristic-looking high rises everywhere, as well as a fancy-looking white hotel to the left of the District entrance. Right below the entrance was a colorful fountain, and straight ahead was a massive yellow clock tower. There were also colorful lights everywhere, ones that looked very much like large Christmas lights.

As Sean walked into the District, he spotted a fat man running across the walkways. "Help! Someone please help me!" the man shouted. But before Sean could run to help, he saw a strange creature pounce on the man. It looked a lot like the shadow creatures he ran into at Forest Hill, with the glowing eyes and claws. But this one looked like some sort of soldier, sporting a pointy helmet and a black-and-red jumpsuit. It also had some sort of emblem on its chest, a black heart with a red "X" through it and three branches off the bottom.

The creature turned the man over on his back and thrust its claw into his chest. After a few seconds, it pulled something out. Getting a closer look, Sean noticed that what the creature pulled out was the fat man's heart. _No_, he thought, _That's not possible! It can't really be…his heart?!!_

Then the creature crushed the heart right in its claws. Afterwards, the man's body started dissolving into thin air as the creature disappeared in a flash of darkness. Sean just couldn't believe what he just saw.

Then all of a sudden, the same shadow creatures from earlier emerged from the ground around Sean. "Augh! It's those creatures from Forest Hill!" Sean exclaimed as he pulled out and readied his Keyblade.

Suddenly, a large figure dropped down in front of Sean. He couldn't exactly see who it was, though, as it was running around smacking the creatures with its sharp claws. They were all defeated rather quickly, and the figure even lunged over Sean's head at a shadow creature that was about to pounce on him.

Recovering from the quick and chaotic fight, Sean finally saw what the mysterious figure looked like. At first it looked like some sort of wolf, but it then morphed into a muscular man as it stood back up. He had straight grayish-brown hair and was completely barefoot. He was wearing a black leather jacket with a faux fur collar and belt; the jacket was torn up on the right arm. And he was also wearing blue jeans that were torn up on the left leg, as well as on the behind.

"Uh, thanks," Sean said to the man. Without turning, the man said, "They'll keep on coming at you out of nowhere." "Huh?" Sean said, perplexed by those words. "And they'll attack you without warning," the man continued as he glanced back at Sean with a rather serious expression, "as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade." "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Sean inquired. "Never mind," the man said as he finally turned around. Walking forward, he continued, "Now, let's take a look at that Keyblade."

"What if I say you can't?" Sean asked as he readied the weapon. The man stopped walking, but he didn't look fazed at all. "Fine," he said, "Then have it YOUR way."

Sean then witnessed the man transforming right in front of him. The man's bare hands turned into furry grayish paws with sharp claws. His feet stretched and also grew claws as a long tail emerged from a rip in the back of his jeans. He grew bigger as his human face turned into a wolf face and his body covered itself in grayish fur. His ears became pointed and he formed a snout with a big black nose on the end. After transforming, the wolf-man bared his claws and snarled, ready to attack.

The wolf-man lunged right at Sean. Sean held the Keyblade up to his face to block the assault, but the force of it threw him right against the District entrance door. "I'm sorry," said the wolf-man as he pressed against Sean's chest, "But I'm afraid you'll have to come with me." "Not a chance!" Sean exclaimed as he pushed the wolf-man away and rolled away. The wolf-man lunged again, but Sean swung the Keyblade just in time to deal a solid hit. He ran back up to the wolf-man to deal more hits, but the wolf-man quickly recovered and delivered a blow with his claws. He lunged once again, and wrestled with Sean on the walkway.

The wolf-man grabbed Sean's arm to prevent him from swinging the Keyblade. Sean was struggling to resist the grip, as it was so strong. They rolled and attacked each other on the walkway as Sean tried swinging the blade, but he was losing his strength. They stopped rolling, and the wolf-man tried to attack Sean with his fangs. But Sean butted him with his head, which took the claws off his arm long enough to deliver a solid hit. The wolf-man was blown backwards right into the walkway's railing. As Sean stood back up, the wolf-man transformed back into his human form as he tried to recover from the beating.

Out of breath and with his strength fading, Sean said, "…Ha! How's…How's that?!? Now…Now you're gonna…Gonna…" Then he fainted backwards from exhaustion. As the man finally got back up, a female voice came from behind him, "Great job, Claw. You found him!"

Claw looked behind him to see a green and blue female dragon. She had pronounced round cheeks, flat pointy ears, a thin roundish snout, small head spikes, and small wings. She was wearing a white top with brown belts going down her chest and across her sleeves, as well as smaller orange belts crossing across the chest. She also had on brown pants without legs, and with another belt going down her pelvis.

"But I have to admit you are getting a little rusty," the dragon said to Claw. Looking at the passed-out Sean, Claw assured, "I went easy on him."

Claw spoke again, "Looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse."

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In an isolated alley next to the hotel, Rob, Hobbes, and Cody looked around as they walked down. "Uh, guys?" Rob said to the others, "I…don't think Claw is here. Besides…It's pretty dang creepy here."

"But if we don't look here," Hobbes responded, looking back at Rob, "We won't have one more area to check off our list." "List of what?," Rob expressed. "Huge, creepy places covered in cold, dark metal?? We should look somewhere else. You know, somewhere that WON'T give me the heebie-jeebies!"

"Uh, excuse me," a soft voice came from behind Rob. After doing a double take, Rob rocketed into the air and landed right on Cody. "Augh! We're dead, we're done for, we're kaput!" Rob spouted out as he latched onto Cody.

Hobbes spun around, slightly annoyed at Rob. "Rob," he said, "Will you calm down? We're just –" He stopped as Cody and Rob turned around as well to see a tigress behind them.

She had a long body, her front legs decorated with skinny bracelets. She was wearing a purplish collar as well as a pair of crystal earrings, but nothing else. She was on all fours, had a short roundish snout, short ears, long tufts of white hair on the sides of her head, beautiful brown eyes, and a white underside.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for sneaking up on you like this," the tiger said. "Yeah, you should be!" Rob exclaimed, "You practically gave me a conniption!"

"Oh, pay no attention to Rob here," Hobbes said, pointing to the snake. Meanwhile, Cody was looking at her with wide-eyed amazement. "Anyway, what do you want?" Hobbes asked her.

"My name is Tara," the tiger said. "I came because I heard Lord Storm sent you. Would you mind coming with me, please?"


	6. The One With the Key

EPISODE 5

THE ONE WITH THE KEY

"Come on, wake up."

When Sean came to, none other than Rain was standing in front of him. "There you are. You okay?" she asked.

He felt a small bump on the back of his head, and his vision was foggy. "R…Rain? Is…Is that you?"

"Rain? Who are YOU talking about?" she responded. "My name is Turquoise!" In a flash, Sean saw that it was not Rain, but the green and blue dragon. He jolted backward, then realized where he was. He was lying on a big bed inside a cozy room, supposedly inside the hotel. Across from him was a large stone fireplace with large red socks hanging on the mantle. There was a table in the middle of the room with a plate of cookies and a mug, as well as what looked like a stack of Christmas cards. To his left were a wooden door and a Christmas-y cuckoo clock. The entire room had the look and feel of the inside of a ski lodge bedroom. It was hard to believe that he was still in Gadget Town.

Looking back at the door, Turquoise proclaimed, "I think you might've overdone it again, Claw." Sure enough, Claw, in his human form, was standing right next to the door. "I told you before that I went easy on him," Claw remarked as he leaned on the wall. Turquoise just smiled and rolled her eyes.

Shifting to sit on the side of the bed, Sean noticed that he didn't have his Keyblade on him. "Huh? Where's my –" That's when he noticed it leaning on the wall next to Claw.

"Oh, yeah," Turquoise said as she walked on over to Claw, "We had to get it out of your hands to shake off those creatures. Turns out that's how they were tracking you." Getting off the wall and standing up, Claw remarked, "It was the only way to conceal your heart from them. But it won't work for very long."

Then he picked the Keyblade back up, saying, "Still, it's hard to believe that, of all people, YOU would be the chosen one." He swung it to the side, and then it suddenly vanished and reappeared back in Sean's right hand. "Chosen one?" Sean asked as he looked over the Keyblade again. "Hey," Claw stated, "Beggars can't be choosers."

"W-Wait a sec," Sean exclaimed. "Why don't you make some sense! Tell me what's going on here!"

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Meanwhile, in the room next door, Tara was sitting on a cot and speaking to Rob, Hobbes, and Cody. This room had a very Asian flavor to it, covered in anime paintings and decorated like a room in a Japanese lodging.

"OK," Tara explained to the three heroes, "Now, you three know that there are many other worlds out there besides your kingdom and this town, right?" "Yes, that's right," Hobbes responded. "Wait," Rob quipped, "I thought all this 'other worlds' business and stuff was supposed to be secret." Cody didn't speak, as, even as he was paying attention to the conversion, he was admiring Tara.

"It's all been secret," Tara continued, "Because the worlds have never been connected…Until now. When the Heartless came, everything just…Changed."

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"The Heartless?" Sean inquired in the other room. "You know," Turquoise explained, "Those black creatures that keep attacking you."

"They were all either humans or animals once," Claw explained grimly. "But they lost their hearts to darkness, and became Heartless. They are neither living nor dead; only lost souls stalking and thirsting for hearts to capture." Claw seemed disturbed talking about the Heartless.

"What's more, they are attracted to the darkness in people's hearts," Turquoise picked up. "And there is supposedly darkness in every heart." "That sounds terrible," Sean stated, "But…Why are they going after me specifically?"

"Oh, that reminds me," the dragoness exclaimed. "Sean, have you ever heard of someone named Sun?"

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"Sun?" Hobbes repeated. "Wh…Who's he?" Cody asked, finally able to speak. "Lord Sun was a scholar who studied the Heartless," Tara explained. "He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report."

"Wow," Rob cut in, "This guy sounds like a real egghead. You...Wouldn't happen to have this report on you, by any chance?" Tara just shook her head, saying, "No. Its pages are scattered all across different worlds." "Scattered?" Rob responded. "Across different worlds? Oh, wonderful…"

"Oh!" exclaimed Cody. "Maybe Lord Storm went to look for them." "Yes, that's a very good assumption," Tara assured. "I was thinking the very same thing." Cody found it amazing that he and Tara were on the same track.

"So," Cody said, careful not to lose track of their original mission, "That means we have to find Lord Storm, and fast!" "But," Hobbes reassured with determination, "We have to find the 'key' first!"

"Right," said Tara with confidence, "The Keyblade."

---------------------------------------------

"So," said Sean as he looked at the Keyblade, "THIS is the 'key'?" "Yep, that's it," Turquoise confirmed. "The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade," Claw told Sean, "That's why they'll keep coming after you. They won't rest until they have consumed you. So you should be ready to fight for your life."

"Wait, fight...for my LIFE??" Sean repeated with dread and uncertainty. "But...I didn't ask for this!" "Well, tough luck," Claw said, "The Keyblade chooses its master, and it chose you."

"Man...How did all this happen??" Sean asked. "I mean, one minute I'm in my room, and the next -" Then Sean gasped and jolted right up. "Wait a sec! What happened to Forest Hill?? My home?! And Blood! And...Rain..."

"Well, sorry Sean," said Turquoise sympathetically. "It's probably all long gone by now." A tear rolled down Sean's face as he dreaded over what might've happened to his friends. "I wonder if I'll be able to see Blood and Rain again..." Claw let out a heavy sigh, and said, "Sorry, but there's nothing WE can do."

"Well," Claw said after a short pause, "We'd better go join Tara. She and the others should be in the other room." Just then, a loud crash shook the room, almost knocking everyone off their feet. "Damn, they're already here," Claw said in a worried tone.

Suddenly, a Soldier Heartless materialized in the room. "Go, Turquoise!" Claw shouted. "Go and save yourself!" "Just be careful!" the dragoness said as she ran for the door.

In the other room, Rob ran for the door as well, but Turquoise got there first and swung the door right on him. "Turquoise??" Tara exclaimed, shocked and concerned. "We gotta get outta here, Tara!" Turquoise shouted. The tiger soon followed. Then Cody quickly slammed the door, took the flattened Rob, and followed suit along with Hobbes.

Back in the Christmas room, Claw transformed into his wolf-man form as Sean brandished the Keyblade. Baring his claws and fangs, Claw exclaimed, "Sean, let's go!" "Right!" Sean responded, ready to fight.

The Soldier spun right for the warriors, but Claw lunged at it, going right out the window. Sean followed, jumping down from the balcony to the alleyway below.

With the Heartless pinned down, Claw exclaimed, "Don't bother with the small fry! We have to find the leader!" With another claw swipe, the Soldier disappeared in a cloud of darkness, releasing a small heart into the air. They were surrounded by Soldiers and Shadows, but they took out only a few and headed out back into the Residential District.

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Sean and Claw eventually found themselves in Gadget Town's Entertainment District. Another wing of the hotel branched out in this District, which basically looked like a giant casino. There were huge slot machines, pinball boards, and various amusement park rides all over the place. In the District's main plaza was a checkerboard floor, overlooked by a big slot machine above a bejeweled fountain.

But when Sean and Claw arrived, the plaza was unusually quiet. "Be on your guard, Sean," Claw warned. "The boss could strike at any minute." Sean nodded in response, and the two headed down the steps and into the plaza.

However, Sean stopped when he heard some commotion up on the balcony above him. He looked up to see Rob, Hobbes, and Cody fighting for their lives against a pack of Heartless. "Come on, everyone!" Hobbes was shouting to the others. "Fight! Give it all you've got!" "Hey," Rob exclaimed, "We're trying our best, OK?!" After blocking a claw strike, Cody shouted, "There's too many! We'll have to bail out!"

One of the Soldiers unleashed a spinning somersault kick, which knocked the three heroes into the air. Sean looked up and noticed that they were coming down right on him! He tried to get out of the way, but he was too late. The three heroes landed on top of him with a loud thud.

Claw saw this occur, but more Soldiers appeared and forced him to fight them. As the four recovered from the collision, Cody noticed Sean's Keyblade and exclaimed, "Hey! It's the key!"

Rob and Hobbes perked up at this declaration, and saw the key themselves. "Yeah!" Rob exclaimed, "I knew we'd find it! Trust me, I knew it all along!"

"Nice to meet you, too," Sean stated as he pushed them off.

Then the entire plaza started rumbling violently. Huge walls came up around the heroes, trapping Claw on the outskirts. "No!" Claw shouted as he noticed the walls coming up. But there was nothing he could do. Sean, Rob, Hobbes, and Cody were trapped.

Then a huge armored Heartless came down onto the plaza. It was in individual pieces at first, but it quickly assembled them together. The hands and feet clicked into the cylindrical torso, and touched ground just before the head came down and completed the Heartless. Sean and the others found themselves going up against the Guard Armor.

As Rob's jaw dropped, Sean expressed, "Oh no...This is bad..."

One of the Guard Armor's hands came right for Sean, demonstrating its amazing attack range. But Hobbes stepped right in front of him and blocked the attack with his shield as Cody got Rob's jaws back in place.

"We'll back you up!" Hobbes shouted to Sean. "Yeah," Cody agreed, "So let's fight together!" At this Rob toughened himself right up, saying, "Yeah. Together we can take down this overgrown trash can!"

The Armor attempted another hand attack, but Sean rolled right out of the way. But he didn't see its feet coming, and he was kicked right into the wall. He had already suffered huge damage, and felt his strength fading again.

"Cure!" Rob shouted as he pointed his staff toward Sean. A bright green aura of magical energy surrounded Sean for a brief second before disappearing. Just like that his strength had fully recovered. "Wow, thanks!" Sean shouted as he got back up and re-entered the fight. "No problem!" Rob responded, "But don't mention it! I'm just a snake doing my job!"

As the Armor's hands detached and start spinning around, Hobbes deflected them before punching them with the shield. Meanwhile, Cody was dashing right through its feet with his Transform Blade while dodging its powerful kicks.

Sean rushed in for a follow-up attack to the hands, slashing them with the Keyblade. But one of the hands delivered a counterattack, knocking both Sean and Hobbes backward. This time Sean landed right on his feet and helped Hobbes up.

"Fire!!" Rob shouted as he pointed the staff at the Armor's torso. A fireball shot right out of the staff and hit the torso in a small explosion. Meanwhile the feet were going after Cody, trying to stomp on him. Sean rushed in to help him and slashed at both feet.

When both feet fell on the ground in a heap, Sean grabbed one of them and threw it right into the torso. The foot was destroyed as the torso suffered a big blow. But the other foot made a quick recovery and kicked Cody hard. "Cure!" Rob shouted as Cody fell backward. The green aura surrounded Cody and instantly healed him.

"Rob, look out!" Hobbes shouted as one of the hands punched Rob right into the wall. Sean then ran up, leapt up to grab the hand, and threw it into the torso as well. That destroyed the hand.

"Ugh, this is it!" Rob shouted, having taken a critical hit. "I'm...I'm done for! Farewell, cruel worlds! I barely knew you all!"

"Come on, Rob," Hobbes said, "You'll be OK. Here, have a Potion!" He took a Potion out of his pants pocket and tossed it right at Rob, who drank it right up. He recovered, and shouted as he perked back up, "Done for...NOT!! I'm back in the game!"

Hobbes spun around just in time to face the upcoming other hand. He blocked it, as Sean ran up and kicked it into the torso. Now the other hand was destroyed as Cody finished off the other foot himself.

All that was left now was the torso. But it wasn't ready to give up without a fight. It started spinning around the plaza real fast, blowing everyone into the walls. Recovering, Sean saw Hobbes lying against the wall, supposedly knocked out. Sean ran right to him, pulled out a Potion of his own, and gave it to him. Hobbes recovered, saying, "Thanks. I owe you one." "Hey, don't mention it," Sean responded.

"Hobbes!" Rob shouted again, "I just healed me AND Cody, and I'm shit outta mana!" "Here, take this!" Hobbes shouted as he threw an orb of magical energy at the snake. The orb was consumed, and Rob found his mana restored.

"C'mon," Sean exclaimed, "Let's finish this guy off!" Rob kept a safe distance flinging Fire spells as everyone else ganged up on the torso. Hobbes blocked the next spinning attack, and when it was stunned, Cody rushed up and shouted, "Propeller Blade!" Then his Blade turned into a fast-spinning, double-bladed weapon that, indeed, hit the Armor like a propeller.

When the Armor looked weak enough, Sean firmly grasped the Keyblade and ran up to it, saying, "Here comes the..."

"FINAL BLOW!!!"

With a deafening leap, Sean thrust the Keyblade deep into the torso. Then a flash of light came from the torso, indicating its defeat. As soon as Sean landed, everyone stepped back.

Lazily hanging in the air, the head shook before falling into the torso and forcing it to the ground with its weight. The Armor collapsed onto the ground like a heap of metal as the head rolled out. Then, with another flash of light, the heart it stole was freed and floated off towards the night sky. With its heart gone, the Armor dissolved in a whirlwind of light until it was no more.

A few moments later, Sean, Rob, Hobbes, and Cody starting high-fiving each other as they celebrated their first major battle victory together.

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"Wait...So, you were looking...For me?" Sean asked the others later. "Yup," the three heroes confirmed. Tara, Turquoise, and Claw in his human form were looking on. "Yup," said Turquoise, "They've been looking for the wielder of the Keyblade, too."

"Hey," said Cody exuberantly, "Why don't you come with us? We'll be able to go to other worlds in our ship!" Sean responded, "Sounds great. But..." He slumped slightly as he continued in a sad tone, "Will I able to find Blood and Rain?"

"Heh, no problem!" Rob exclaimed. "You can count on it!" "Rob," said Hobbes as the three started whispering to each other, "How do you know we'll find them??" "Well," said Rob, "I had to tell him SOMETHING!" Cody responded, "But who knows? We might find them, just as we might find Lord Storm!"

"But," said Rob, "We need this guy to help find Lord Storm. Right?" "Right!" confirmed Hobbes.

Noticing Sean's blue expression, Claw stated, "Sean, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends." In a glum tone, Sean responded, "Well, OK. I guess..."

"HEY!" exclaimed Rob as he saw Sean's sad face. "Wipe that dumb frown off your stupid face! SMILE!!" He gave his best smile, and continued, "See, ya gotta look sharp and confident, like us!" He gave what looked like a thumbs-up with his tail.

"Or silly, in Rob's case," Cody said with a chuckle. Hobbes managed a slight smile as well.

Sean looked at everyone's faces. "Silly? Sharp?" he responded glumly. "You mean...Like THIS?" he said as he lowered his head and lifted it right back up with a huge, ridiculous-looking grin on his face.

Everyone looked at Sean for a moment, then Rob and Cody started laughing hysterically as Hobbes simply laughed. "Now THAT'S a sharp face if I ever saw one!" Rob laughed. Sean couldn't help laughing as well.

As soon as they all stopped laughing, Sean stated, "Well...OK, why not? I'll go with you guys!"

"That's the spirit!" Cody exclaimed. "Oh!" Hobbes said, "We haven't properly introduced ourselves yet. My name is Hobbes."

"Call me Rob!" Rob said.

"I'm Cody. Pleased to meet you!" Cody said.

"And I'm Sean," Sean stated.

As each hero said his name, he put his hand, or tail in Rob's case, out. "All for one, and one for all!" Cody said as they all placed their hands together, forever securing their bond.

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Meanwhile, the four heroes were being viewed as holograms in the center of a large stone table in a dark room. Five figures stood at the table.

"That little squirt took down that Heartless!" said the first figure, a tall figure with a long face and flames atop his head. "Whouda thunk it?!"

A second figure, sporting fiery red hair and a deathly pale face, said, "Such is the power of the Keyblade. The boy's strength is not his own."

"Why don't we turn him into a Heartless?" a third figure, obese and feathery and wearing a black cape, said. "That should settle things quick enough."

Then a fourth figure, with his hooked hand and pirate hat, spurted out, "And the brat's friends are the wolf lord's lackeys. Swoggle me eyes, they're all bilge rats, by the look of them!"

"You're no prize yourself," laughed the pudgy, baggy fifth figure.

The fourth figure took his hook to the fifth, spitting out, "Shut up, you -!"

"ENOUGH," an imposing female voice spoke. Coming out of the darkness, the source of the voice revealed herself as a tall sorceress. She was dressed in a black robe with hints of red and purple, had what looked like horns on top of her head, and carried a crystal staff and a raven on her shoulder. Her eyes were empty and her face was a pale shade of green.

"The Keyblade has chosen him," the sorceress stated. "Will it be he who conquers the darkness? Or will the darkness devour him?"

"Either way, he could be quite useful..."


End file.
